Brooklyn Today

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Greetings, Brooklyn. Today is the 31st day of the year.

On this day in 1900, a series in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle prompted a police investigation and closure of pool rooms around the city, including Brooklyn. NYC Police Board President Bernard J. York commanded that inspectors hold their jurisdictions responsible for adhering to the investigation, as would captains hold the officers of their precincts accountable. An investigation was also being launched of police who were accepting “protection money.”

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On this day in 1922, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported that Cardinal Laurenti was considered a likely candidate to succeed Pope Benedict XV, who had died nine days earlier. The Papal Conclave was receiving close media attention from nationalists. Cardinal Laurenti was elected pope, but he “refused the honor.” Therefore, another cardinal, born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti, was elected pope on Feb. 6 and took on the papal name of Pius XI. Under his papacy, the Lateran Agreement was signed between the Vatican and Italy. Pius XI was the first pope to reign as sovereign in the newly created Vatican independent state.

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On this day in 1945, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page proclaimed that the Soviet forces had toppled three Nazi anchor bases in their march toward Berlin, including the key junction on the Berlin-Danzig railway between Germany and Poland. Soviet forces, under Marshal Joseph Stalin, had reached the next rail junction of Soldin, just 58 miles from Berlin. However heroic the “liberating” sounded on newsprint, the Soviet advances during the Red Army Winter Offensive were not without violence against women. It wasn’t until decades later, during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, that the Polish women were emboldened to speak of the mass rapes at the hands of their liberators.

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On this day in 1954, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle front page reported on the latest in its expose of criminal relationships between the police and organized gambling concerns. A rackets grand jury called for a New York City Crime Commission to function as a permanent citizen watchdog group against such graft. In May 1951, the Eagle won a Pulitzer Prize for its ongoing coverage of the graft investigations.

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NOTABLE PEOPLE born on this day include former queen of the Netherlands PRINCESS BEATRIX, who was born in 1938; Tony Award-winning actress CAROL CHANNING, who was born in 1921; actress PORTIA DE ROSSI, who was born in 1973; actress MINNIE DRIVER, who was born in 1971; composer PHILIP GLASS, who was born in 1937; singer JOHN LYDON, who was born in 1956; actress KELLY LYNCH, who was born in 1959; actor, director and writer STUAR MARGOLIN, who was born in 1940; singer MARCUS MUMFORD, who was born in 1987; Hall of Fame baseball player NOLAN RYAN, who was born in 1947; singer and actor JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE, who was born in 1981; actress JESSICA WALTER, who was born in 1941; and actress KERRY WASHINGTON, who was born in 1977.

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FRANZ SCHUBERT WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1797. The Austrian composer is known for his more than 600 secular vocal works, seven complete symphonies, operas and a piano music. Schubert last worked on his "Unfinished Symphony" (No. 8) in 1822. On the 100th anniversary of his death in 1928, a $10,000 prize was offered to "finish" the work. The protests were so great that the offer was withdrawn. Schubert died in Vienna in 1828, shortly before his 32nd birthday and was buried, at his request, near the grave of composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

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TODAY IS INSPIRE YOUR HEART WITH THE ARTS DAY. People are encouraged to go to an art museum, browse through an art book at the library, enroll in an art class or commission an artist.

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JACKIE ROBINSON WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1919. The athlete and business executive was the first black person to enter professional major league baseball (Brooklyn Dodgers, 1947–56). He was voted National League's Most Valuable Player in 1949 and elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. Robinson died in Connecticut in 1972.

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THE FIRST SOCIAL SECURITY CHECK WAS ISSUED ON THIS DAY IN 1940. Ida May Fuller of Ludlow, Vermont, received the first monthly retirement check — for $22.54. Fuller had worked for three years under the Social Security program (which had been established by legislation in 1935). The accumulated taxes on her salary over those three years were $24.75. She lived to be 100 years old, collecting $22,888 in Social Security benefits.

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ZANE GREY WAS BORN ON THIS DAY IN 1872. The American dentist was known as a prolific author of tales of the Old West. Grey wrote more than 80 books that were translated into many languages and sold more than 10 million copies. His novel, “Riders of the Purple Sage,” was the most popular. He died in 1939 in California.

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SAMUEL GOLDWYN DIED ON THIS DAY IN 1974. Motion picture producer and industry pioneer Goldwyn died in Los Angeles, California. He was born Samuel Goldfish, in Warsaw, Poland, probably in July 1879 (although he always claimed Aug. 27, 1882, as his birthday). Famous for his confusing outbursts, Goldwyn is claimed to have said such things as, "Anybody who goes to see a psychiatrist ought to have his head examined."

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Special thanks to “Chase’s Calendar of Events” and Brooklyn Public Library.

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"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." — baseball player Jackie Robinson, who was born on this day in 1919